Spectrometers and Polyphase Filterbanks in Radio Astronomy

TL;DR

This paper reviews various spectrometer technologies used in radio astronomy, emphasizing digital systems like autocorrelation, Fourier transform, and polyphase filterbanks, highlighting their advantages, disadvantages, and implementation considerations.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of digital spectrometer types in radio astronomy, with detailed focus on polyphase filterbanks and their benefits.

Findings

Polyphase filterbanks offer significant advantages in radio astronomy spectrometry.

Comparison of spectrometer technologies highlights their respective strengths and limitations.

Implementation considerations are crucial for deploying effective digital spectrometers.

Abstract

This review gives an introduction to spectrometers and discusses their use within radio astronomy. While a variety of technologies are introduced, particular emphasis is given to digital systems. Three different types of digital spectrometers are discussed: autocorrelation spectrometers, Fourier transform spectrometers, and polyphase filterbank spectrometers. Given their growing ubiquity and significant advantages, polyphase filterbanks are detailed at length. The relative advantages and disadvantages of different spectrometer technologies are compared and contrasted, and implementation considerations are presented.